Category Archives: Local News

Update 1: Newport Wind Project

You may have heard about the proposed wind energy project for Newport, NC (Carteret County). [Note: these are 450± foot structures in Mill Creek, where the trees are about 75± feet tall.]
A mailing list has been put together for citizens who’d like to keep up on this important local (and statewide) matter. To be included, please email Morehead City physicist John Droz. You can get off at any time.
There have been several mailings already, as quite a bit is happening quickly. Below is John’s synopsis of where things are now…
You may want to find out where your elected officials stand on this issue. Start with Representative Pat McElraft, email – Pat.McElraft@ncleg.net; Senator Norman Sanderson, email – Norman.Sanderson@ncleg.net; Carteret County Commissioner, Chairman Greg Lewis, email – greg.lewis@carteretcountygov.org. Contact information for other County Commissioners here.
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This is a complex technical matter. If you’d like it digested down to a soundbite, here it is:
Industrial wind energy is a net economics and net environmental loser, that has no scientifically proven net benefits.
To get a more in-depth understanding of how we got here, please peruse (as a minimum) the following:
1 – Senate Bill 3: a 2007 NC law that mandates a certain % of renewables. The real-world consequences of this are:
a) Most of this requirement will be met by wind energy (for a variety of reasons), and
b) ALL of that wind energy will be on the coast (onshore or offshore), due to the Ridge Act which protects NC mountains. (There is no comparable law that protects the NC coast.)
c) For the realities about wind energy see WiseEnergy.org and (in particular) EnergyPresentation.info

 

2 – Senate Bill 3 is a poor idea for many reasons. Here I explain some of the economic and environmentalproblems.
 
3 – “Affordable & Reliable Energy Act” (H298): was a good 2013 proposal to fix Senate Bill 3. It got pulled for political reasons.
 
4 – “Wind Permitting Bill” (H484): a 2013 NC law which was intended to protect NC military, but it really doesn’t.
 
5 – The current version of the document I sent to legislators about the deficiencies with H484 — which are legion.
6 – Per H484, DENR is the lead agency overseeing the state level wind permitting process. In our view their focus should be to protect: nearby citizens, the nearby environment, and affected NC military bases. To date these do not seem to be their priority. [If you’re interested I can send you a copy of an email I sent to the DENR Secretary, detailing some concerns so far.]
 
7 – The proposed project is roughly half in the town of Newport (Mill Creek), and half in unincorporated parts of Carteret County.
 
8 – Carteret County has Tall Structure ordinance, that addresses some aspects of wind development. Since this was written in 2008, we have learned a lot more about industrial wind energy, so this needs major updating. I’ve marked up suggestions to improve that law.
 
9 – Newport has no wind ordinance. They are currently working on writing and approving such a law. At their invitation I met with them to give them suggestions on how to do this well. They were appreciative and the meeting was constructive.
 
10-My recommendations were that they focus their efforts on four technical areas, and require an Escrow Account. The details of these suggestions are spelled out here. [There will be a town meeting about this on Thursday, November 14th.]
Until H484 is fixed, the burden will be on towns and counties to write detailed and effective wind laws.
Let me know any questions.
regards,
john droz, jr.
physicist & environmental advocate
Morehead City, NC

Veteran’s Day Parade

Saturday, November 9th turned out to be a beautiful day for Morehead City’s annual Veteran’s Day Parade, and the Crystal Coast Tea Party Patriots enthusiastically joined in the celebration and the tribute to our nation’s military veterans.

The photo below shows the CCTPP float in the staging area, with some of the members who either sat on or walked beside the float during the parade.  Our members gave out many copies of the Pocket Constitutions that we purchase from the Heritage Foundation, as well as miniature American flags (great for waving!) and several buckets of candy to the kids along the route.

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Local News – Newport Wind Project

A Texas company is proposing to develop a Wind Farm Enery Project in Newport, NC. This wind farm may consist of 50 windmills each which will be 450 feet tall. The NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources  (DENR) is reported to be bending over backwards for this wind developer in supporting the project. Even to the extent of having the first meeting that DENR refused to classify as a planning or scoping meeting (so what was it) in Wilmington, NC (not in Newport where most people affected are). It is also not clear where our local NC House member, Representative Pat McElraft, stands on the Newport Wind Project. Some have expressed concern that because of her close relationship to House Speaker Thom Tillis who killed a key bill (H298) in the last session, Representative McElraft may be turning a blind-eye to the Newport Wind Project and the residents of Carteret County. We hope that is bunk!

Some Newport Town officials are reported to have attended the Wilmington meeting held by DENR. Someone reported they were dismayed at DENR’s support of the wind development company to the detriment to the Town of Newport and citizens of Carteret County. The Town of Newport plans to hold a meeting soon to discuss the project. As details emerge, we will keep you advised. The Town of Newport is also developing a local ordinance for projects such as this wind farm project that will need your review and input. Some have suggested that the Carteret County Commissioners via the County Planning Board need to develop strict standards for the county for these projects.

Below are some emails that have been circulated if you want to dig into the details of the project and the history a bit more. Continue reading

Morehead City council hears budget complaints

TEA PARTY PATRIOTS CALL OUT COSTS (Mark Hibbs — Wednesday, 06/12/2013)

Tea party spokesman Eric Broyles of Morehead City spoke Tuesday in opposition to the city manager’s recommended 2013-14 budget, which includes a 4-cent tax increase.

The 4-cent tax increase included in the proposed 2013-14 budget had city officials seeing red Tuesday.

A red-shirted Crystal Coast Tea Party spokesman and his similarly attired cadre blasted the proposed spending plan during a public hearing at the Municipal Building at 202 S. Eighth St. and demanded a line-by-line review of expenses in the city manager’s recommendation.

That proposal increases property taxes from 28.5 cents per $100 of assessed value to 32.5 cents if approved by the council.  The new budget year starts July 1st.

“It is time for the city council to go back to the budget drawing board and bring forth a realistic budget that does not increase taxes”, said Broyles, who spoke on behalf of the tea party group and read aloud his letter to the editor published in the News-Times on Sunday.

Mr. Broyles said the budget was padded with increased expenses.  He said the city should not hire any new employees until it can properly take care of its existing staff.

A plan to offer pay raises for city workers and the addition of several new positions were cited in the proposed budget as the reasons for the proposed tax increase.  Of the proposed 4-cent tax increase, 2.5 cents would go to increase employees salaries and the other 1.5 cents would pay for new positions.

Each penny of the property tax generates about $185,000-190,000 in tax revenue.

The council did not plan to vote on the budget Tuesday during its regular meeting.  The board had announced it will wait until a special meeting set for 1pm Friday at the same location before considering adoption of the spending plan.  But council members stuck to the originally planned date for the public hearing held Tuesday.

The decision to vote on Friday was based on a planned meeting that day with a consultant who performed a study of the city’s employee compensation and recommended the raises to bring them in line with the labor market in the area, improve morale and curb turnover.

The tea party group’s gripe, as articulated by Mr. Broyles, was less about employee wages and more the departmental increases included in the city manager’s recommended spending plan, including line-item expenditures such as landscaping, office supplies, and contracted services he called inflated spending out of control.

City manager Dave Whitlow said the budget proposal includes about $800,000 less in general fund expenditures, compared to the current budget.  Much of the reduction is in capital expenditures, contributions to various organizations, operating costs, travel and training expenses and “a whole host of things”, he said.

Mr. Whitlow said his recommended spending levels in the proposed budget were more than $1 million lower than the total requested by city department heads, about $23.37 million.

The manager’s recommended $21.97 million budget includes $10.63 million in general fund expenditures; $2.99 million in expenses for fire and EMS service; $6.39 million in water and sewer operating expenses; $926,300 in solid waste expense; $860,000 in water and sewer capital projects; and a water and sewer capital reserve of $176,000.

Mr. Broyles said he found numerous expense items in various departments in the budget that soared in comparison with the budget for the previous year and actual spending.

Mr. Broyles and his group, prior to the meeting, placed sheets of red paper in every seat of the council chambers with the words “Taxed Enough Already” printed in large, black letters.  The group had also placed on every seat a sheet of white paper printed on both sides with tables of expense categories for each city department.

The tables listed actual current-year expenses, the manager’s recommended 2013-14 expenditures and the percentage increase for each line item, as calculated by Mr. Broyles.

Page numbers in the budget document were also cited for each item in the tables.

Increases were as high as 45,354.55 percent, as in the case of ‘Safety Program Supplies’ in the Fire and EMS department table.  The item, included on Page 95 of the budget, was budgeted in the current year at $2,000.  According to the budget document, actual expenses totaled $11.24.  The department’s request for 2013-14 for the same line item was $5,100.  The manager’s recommended expense was $5,000.

Other examples included a nearly 5,000 percent increase in landscaping expense in the transportation department, a 3,500 percent increase in cemetery, buildings and grounds landscaping expense and a 2,400 percent increase from $20 to $500  for maintenance and equipment at the Webb Library.

Mr. Broyles said he had expressed his concerns to two council members he considered fiscally conservative.

That remark prompted a stern response from Councilman Demus Thompson.  “You didn’t contact me”, Mr. Thompson said during the council remarks portion of the meeting.  “I’ve always prided myself that this body is not affiliated with any party period.”  Mr. Thompson pointed out that municipal bodies are nonpartisan, unlike county government, which he referred to as a mess and a half.  “I’m thankful I don’t have to stand up and say I’m a Democrat or I am Republican”, Mr. Thompson said, adding that “Mr. Broyles should reach out to the entire council the next time he has a concern.  We all have one vote.”

Contact Mark Hibbs at 252-726-7081, ext. 229; email mark@thenewstimes.com; or follow on Twitter @markhibbs.

HB 298 will test GOP leadership

 

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Beaufort Observer (April 28, 2013) — Depending on how this week’s action plays out, the story of HB 298 (The Affordable and Reliable Energy Act) may be the most significant thing to come out of the 2013 session. That’s a pretty far reaching statement, but consider this.

Many Republicans ran for office on a platform of putting a stop to “business as usual” wherein Big Money interests controlled what happened in the Legislature. But at this point in time, a small group of Republicans in the House have killed HB 298 by voting against it in committee. But a substantial majority of Republicans is said to favor the bill. Thus, what is set up is a real test of the Republican leadership in both the House and Senate. Continue reading

Christensen: GOP goes after the wrong kind of voter fraud

Commentary

 

Christensen: GOP goes after the wrong kind of voter fraud

North Carolina has a long history of election fraud, although not the kind being debated in the halls of the legislature.

The way elections have historically been stolen in North Carolina is through the use of absentee ballots for obvious reasons – not only are there no photographs required but the “voter” doesn’t even have to show up in person.

For decades the Democratic organizations that ruled North Carolina would ship thousands of absentee ballots to machine-controlled mountain counties thatwould provide as many votes as were needed.

The 1920 governor’s race was almost certainly stolen that way. The machine-backed candidate, Cameron Morrison, finished second when the voting was completed on Election Day. But after 11 days of counting absentee votes trickling in from the mountain counties, he was declared winner of the Democratic nomination by 87 votes. That was at a time when North Carolina was a one-party state and Democratic factions stole elections from each other.

During the 1936 Democratic primary for governor, the state Board of Elections, controlled by the Democratic machine, sent out 108,250 absentee ballots in a runoff in which 480,000 votes were cast. Most were sent to mountain counties. A 1944 study found that the statewide percentage of absentee ballots cast was 6.7 percent, but in hard-fought mountain counties such as Clay it was as high as 26 percent.

Typically when absentee voting started, both parties contacted certain voters to see if they wanted to vote absentee. One label for these voters was “floating voters.” According to one mountain Democrat, whoever obtained the majority of those voters usually won.

Old mountain pols say the tradition of using absentee ballots to help steal elections continued into modern times.

Forged signatures used?

My colleague Scott Mooneyham, who writes for The Insider, recently highlighted two incidences of voter fraud related to absentee voting: an SBI investigation into the 2010 Yancey County sheriff’s race and the case of a Dunn city councilwoman who in 2002 was accused of receiving absentee ballots and returning them to the county board of elections with forged signatures.

In the sheriff’s race, the SBI is focused on allegations that jail inmates had their time reduced around the same time they filled out mailed-in absentee ballots witnessed and provided by sheriff’s deputies. The scandal was uncovered by theYancey County News.

Sheriff Gary Banks, a Republican, told the newspaper that the people interviewed were mistaken. The Dunn councilwoman pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor.

Loosening regulations

The Republican-controlled legislature says that fighting voter fraud is a priority. It cites voter integrity as the reason it wants to pass a law requiring voters to produce photo IDs at the polls. It cites fraud as a reason the state needs to cut a week off of early voting and end same-day registration.

But as far as new restrictions on absentee ballots? Not so much. In fact, House Majority leader Edgar Starnes of Hickory is proposing to loosen restrictions on absentee balloting by allowing third parties to collect multiple absentee ballots.

While other voting tools such as early voting and same-day registration tend to get used more by Democrats, Republicans more often use absentee ballots. During the 2012 election, Republicans mailed in 108,522 absentee ballots, while Democrats mailed in 62,210 ballots.

After getting some criticism for its see-no-evil stance, House Republicans did include a provision in their voter ID bill that would require people voting with absentee ballots to include their driver’s license number, Social Security number, or their non-operating license number.

But absentee ballots would still be the easiest way to commit voter fraud – a long North Carolina tradition.

Christensen: 919-829-4532

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/04/13/2823044/why-the-gop-is-going-after-the.html#storylink=cpy

Our NC GOP legislative leadership needs to get with the program

via Beaufort Observer Online

H 494 and the Restoration Movement
Our GOP legislative leadership needs to get with the program

 

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April 08, 2013

Thom Tillis may have just killed his chances of becoming North Carolina’s next U. S. Senator. Depending on how some other current trends play out, Tillis may find that H 494 may very well drive a stake through the heart of his run for the Senate. Here’s how we see that possibility playing out.

These are unusual days in American history. We have a president who has effectively annihilated the U. S. Constitution. If you have any doubt about the truthfulness of that statement simply click here and here. The inescapable conclusion any intellectually honest person must come to is that traditional precedents established and adhered to for years no longer are “the law.” Moreover, what is equally clear is that both the Federal judiciary and the Congress are totally impotent to “preserve and defend the Constitution, either as textually written or as interpreted by judicial precedent.”

H 494 simply calls for the restoration of the original federalism upon which this nation was founded. Tillis is unwise and foolish to assert that duly elected members of the NC House have no such right to render an opinion on the constitutionality of any issue affecting their state.
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The fact is that the original construct of federalism upon which the United States of America created the Union has been turned on its head. What we have today is most certainly not what the Founders intended, and what the sovereign states signed onto. No honest constitutional scholar would argue that “indefinite detention” or warrantless searches, no matter how justified, were envisioned by the Framers. And that list is virtually endless, all the way down to the light bulbs in your home.

We would posit that, at some point, enough knowledgeable and courageous people in this nation will reject this bastardization of the Founding Documents, and even the established precedents, and take a stand to return this nation’s laws to the original intent. Common sense would indicate that it will happen either peaceably or violently. If it is done peaceably it wil be operationalized by leaders stepping up and demanding that the illegal actions be overturned, nullified if you will, and state action interposed in their place. Continue reading

Greg Brannon For US Senate (to replace Kay Hagan)

Come my “Trusted Friend” and your next US Senator, Wednesday,  February 27, 2013 at the Greenville Hilton:  TIME 1:00

Is the next Rand Paul in North Carolina?

Introducing Dr. Greg Brannon

Karl Rove made some news over the weekend when he said the GOP needed more Rand Paul’s instead of more Christine O’Donnell’s. Sincere or not, Karl Rove is absolutely correct. Candidates that are for Constitutional government and package together conservative and libertarian values are the future of a successful Republican party. These candidates must be articulate in their message and principled to back up their rhetoric. Senator Rand Paul is the best example of this. Senator’s Mike Lee and Ted Cruz are others that fit this description.

It is encouraging to see other candidates arise in that mold. In North Carolina, there is one. His name is Dr. Greg Brannon, OB-GYN. A strong Christian, devoted husband of 25 years, and father of 7, he has run his own medical practice since 1993 and has delivered over 9,000 babies. Brannon is a popular speaker to Tea Parties throughout North Carolina, and from that alone his name recognition earned him 5% in the latest PPP poll. In 2009, Greg created Founder’s Truth, a website dedicated to spreading the message that the Founding Father’s believed in and fought for.

You can find Dr. Brannon’s stances on the issues on his excellent website, HERE.

Here is Dr. Brannon’s video message on his run for Senate:

How is Brannon like Paul? They are both medical doctors, they are both active within the Tea Party movement, they are both devoted Christian family men, and they are both articulate speakers.

North Carolina will most likely be a safe pickup for Republicans in 2014. Kay Hagan won on the unpopularity of Elizabeth Dole and the popularity of Barack Obama, and in a trending red state she has neither of those things going for her. 2014 will be a down year for Democrats because many of their voters do not show up and vote in non Presidential elections, particularly the minority vote which is a large part of the electorate in the state. There is no need to settle for an uninspiring establishment figure; they helped get us into this mess in the first place.

A grassroots candidate is needed, and that is Dr. Greg Brannon.

NC "Elections Bureaucrats Ran Amok"

via Civitas Institute

Elections Bureaucrats Ran Amok

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Susan Myrick in Elections & Voting

In a blatantly partisan move, the staff of the North Carolina State Board of Elections (SBE) successfully subverted state law to facilitate online voter registration in North Carolina by the 2012 Barack Obama campaign. In doing so they coordinated with partisans behind closed doors, lied about the NC Attorney General’s Office concurring with the SBE staff on the issue, and dodged oversight by their own board and the legislature. The end result was to add thousands of people to the North Carolina voter rolls illegally.

The SBE staff’s audacity is so breath-taking that it’s hard to believe, so let us emphasize:  The Civitas Institute has documented how SBE bureaucrats conspired with a private company, working for the Obama campaign[i], to facilitate a form of online voter registration for the 2012 General Election – in violation of state law. It’s a classic example of how bureaucrats ignore the democratic process and hijack an agency for partisan purposes.

Breaking the Law

Civitas initiated a series of public records requests to uncover this scheme concerning online registration in defiance of state law. Continue reading

Breaking News- NC Senate Rejects Key Provisions of Obamacare

PRESS RELEASE

President Pro Tempore

Senator Phil Berger

919-733-5708
2007 Legislative Building
Raleigh, N.C. 27601
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   Contacts: Amy Auth, 919-301-1737
February 4, 2013                                                                     Shelly Carver, 919-301-1744
 
N.C. Senate rejects key Obamacare provisions
Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina Senate tentatively passed legislation Monday night to opt out of participation in several expensive provisions of Obamacare.
Senate Bill 4 exempts North Carolina from establishing a state-based health insurance exchange or a state-federal partnership exchange. It directs the N.C. Department of Insurance to return unspent taxpayer funds awarded by the federal government earlier this month to create a state-federal partnership exchange. And it rules out expansion of the North Carolina Medicaid program.
Below is a statement from the bill’s primary sponsor, Sen. Tom Apodaca (R-Henderson):
“We are not running a state exchange because, to be honest, there’s no such thing. A state exchange gives no state control but would cost the people of North Carolina $100 million a year. The federal government chose to mandate health exchanges, so it should pay for them.”
“And Obamacare’s changes to Medicaid would cost North Carolinians close to a billion dollars through 2019. The federal government is trying to bait us in with ‘free’ federal money that switches to state money after a few years, leaving our taxpayers holding the bag. We are working to protect the economic health of our state.”
Background
Costs for North Carolina’s existing Medicaid program have increased significantly in recent years. In 2012, the General Assembly was forced to fill a surprise Medicaid shortfall that totaled more than $500 million.  In fact, an audit released last week shows shortfalls totaling approximately $1.4 billion over the last three years.

Liberals Bash GOP Unemployment Fix Without Facts

Liberals Bash GOP Unemployment Fix Without Facts

Senator Thom Goolsby

The screaming left-wing ninnies never stop complaining. Their latest squawking is about a reasonable plan to pay off the state’s $2.5 billion unemployment insurance debt owed to the federal government.

Unnamed editorial writers at liberal media outlets are lining up to bash Republicans for their fiscal responsibility. As is typical, the editorialists are long on opinions and short on facts.

Click here for an audio version of this column.

As they decry any reductions in payouts, the “nabobs of negativity” conveniently leave out the fact that these changes will only affect future unemployed workers in an economy that is in recovery mode.

The leftist editorial writers also omit the fact that North Carolina pays out significantly more money in benefits than any other state in the Southeast. The current weekly benefit paid by North Carolina is a maximum of $525. By comparison, here are the top benefits in surrounding states:  Georgia $330, South Carolina $326, Tennessee $275, Virginia $378. It’s no wonder that unemployed individuals currently move to North Carolina in order to file for benefits.

The Revenue Laws Study Committee’s new plan sets the maximum rate at $350. Far from impoverishing future unemployed citizens, this amount will make North Carolina the second highest paying state (instead of the first) in the Southeast.

The plan also calls for reducing the maximum duration of benefits from 26 weeks to 12-20 weeks, depending on economic conditions. If conditions are good and jobs are plentiful, the benefits will be cut back to 12 weeks. If the economy worsens, benefits can be extended to a full 20 weeks. Again, this adjustment compares favorably with the benefits provided in other Southeastern states.

Those bashing the GOP plan also ignore the significant increases in unemployment insurance rates employers will have to pay over the next few years in order to pay off the debt early.  Rates will increase on businesses $21 every six months to a high of just over $120 per employee. This will not be an easy cost for employers to bear. However, it is a far cry from the automatic increases required by the federal plan if we take no action.

Washington’s mandate would jack up rates to over $180 per employee. Further, under the GOP plan the $2.5 billion debt will be paid back by 2015.  North Carolina taxpayers made a $79 million interest payment on the debt in 2011 and another $83 million payment in 2012, but the federal plan would cause our state to suffer under the crushing weight of the debt until 2018.

Lastly, the liberals never mention how we came to this sorry state of affairs. The reason is a simple one:  the prior masters of the General Assembly, the Democrats, never planned ahead. Rather than establish a significant rainy day fund, the Dems were happy to spend all the money in the budget and hope that it would never rain.  They were foolishly wrong and we are now paying the price for their shortsightedness. The Republican plan does not repeat the Democrats “spend-it-all” mantra. It does just the opposite – it places over $1 billion in a rainy day fund for future needs.

The actual facts regarding the proposed Republican plan shed a completely different light on the Chicken Little views expressed by left-wing editorialists. It was President John Adams who said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” North Carolina must act to pay off this debt and the GOP plan is the only responsible step forward.

Thom Goolsby is a state senator, practicing attorney and law professor. He serves on the Finance, Commerce and Revenue Laws Study Committees in the N.C. Senate.

A Legislative Report from Coastal Carolina Taxpayer Association

The North Carolina House and Senate will each convene for business on Wednesday, January 30.  As bills are introduced, they will show up on their website at http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/.  We can use the website to follow the progress of each bill.

 

The attachment is my “wish list” for the North Carolina General Assembly to accomplish in 2013.  I sent it to Norm Sanderson, Michael Speciale, and John Bell with a letter asking to meet with each of them to hear their hopes and plans for the upcoming legislative session, and to get their reaction to the things I’m concerned about.  I’ve now had long, informative conversations with each of them.

 

To a person, they’re sympathetic to the things I expressed concern about.  Republican caucus meetings have already been held, caucus votes counted on a number of issues, and it appears there’s a good chance we’ll see a lot of things we’ll like coming out of our General Assembly this year.  I’m very grateful to have been reinforced in my belief that we conservatives are excellently represented there.

 

I met with Michael last Tuesday, and he said that nullification is hard to do, and gave me a little history lesson to show what he means by that.  He said that in the prior legislative body, Glenn Bradley had gone “full bore” after the National Defense Authorization Act, but that none of his stuff got to the floor, and he was “double bunked” when his area was redistricted (only the area very near his home remained in his district; most of it was in areas in which he had no name recognition), so he ran for the Senate, but he lost.  Apparently, the “leadership” punishes those it deems to be extreme.

 

Therefore, Michael says he thinks we can achieve much of what I covered in the “PROTECT NORTH CAROLINA CITIZENS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT” section of the attachment by taking a lower key approach.  I’m not wed to the word nullification, and I don’t think our members are either.  We just want North Carolina citizens protected from the expensive, poor quality health care that would come with ObamaCare, and protected from federal attempts to control our weapons and ammo, and protected from being detained without due process under the NDAA, and have our small farmers protected from the most ridiculous aspects of the Food Safety Act, etc.

 

Michael said he’d like to see the Craven County Board of Commissioners pass a resolution similar to the one passed in Beaufort County so that it’s obvious what his constituents want.

 

Michael also pointed out that two thirds of the general assembly members have been there two years or less, that they’re pretty conservative, and they’re not the sort to sit quietly in the back of the room and await events.  They’re there because they have a job to do.  Michael thinks PHOTO ID will pass (along with some other voting reforms such as shortening the early voting period, doing away with same day registration and voting, and eliminating “straight ticket” voting), and does not think North Carolina will set up a state exchange.  He says they’ll be evaluating each bill that might be challenged in court for how well it can be expected to hold up under that kind of pressure.  Michael knows several people for whom the FOOD SAFETY ACT is a big issue and thinks we can expect to see some legislation we’ll like in that area.

 

Michael says the state’s infrastructure is falling apart.  Many state owned buildings badly need repairs.  Money is an issue.  Spending will need to be carefully watched.

 

Real tax reform will be proposed.  Michael is glad drastic tax changes are being talked about, but doesn’t agree with everything he’s hearing.  I think this is an area we should follow and form an opinion on based on what will make North Carolina solvent, attractive to business, and affect citizens in the most even handed way and so that a maximum number of citizens “have skin in the game.”

 

Michael also expects changes in unemployment insurance to be proposed.  I think we should watch this, too.  If it gets less expensive for employers, it will tend to strengthen employment; if it gets more expensive, the reverse is true.

 

John Bell couldn’t meet with me until next week, and I’m having knee replacement surgery on Tuesday, so we “met” for a couple of hours on the phone.

 

John sees ObamaCare as unconstitutional and a jobs killing bill.  He doesn’t have to look far from home to see the jobs killing aspect because his mother has a medical device business that will be “done in” if ObamaCare is implemented.  John says he represents 84,000 people in House District 10, and if they want the effects of ObamaCare nullified, he needs to work toward that end.  His is but one voice in the House, but there are ways to work on it, and he pointed out that the North Carolina Constitution could be changed if need be.

 

John believes that if we lose our 2nd Amendment rights, all our other rights will fall, too.  He believes the president wants to take guns from our people, and he’d like to see action in the general assembly to counter that.  Like Michael, John would like to see a resolution from local Boards of Commissioners.

 

John gave an open invitation to CCTA to lobby for anything we want changed, and specifically requested that we give him feedback on our ideas about North Carolina tax reform.

 

John agrees that the FOOD SAFETY ACT puts some ridiculous regulations on small businesses (family farms).

 

John has submitted a request for research on the topic of consolidating many of the very numerous boards and planning organizations with which North Carolina is burdened.

 

On immigration, John seemed favorably impressed with Marco Rubio’s recent pronouncements Continue reading

Republicans confident photo ID requirement will pass judicial muster

Jan. 22nd, 2013

 

RALEIGH — North Carolinians should expect the General Assembly to pass a strict voter ID bill in 2013, and it will be one that will pass federal and judicial scrutiny, a chairman of the House Elections Committee said.

“We’re going to get a bill that requires a photo ID to vote,” said Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett.

Democrats and liberal activists continue contending that a photo ID requirement would disenfranchise poor, elderly, and minority citizens who lack proper identification documents. Moreover, they say a recent report by the State Board of Elections showing a large number of voter records don’t match Division of Motor Vehicles data would lead to major hassles when North Carolinians show up at polling places.

Lewis said the law likely would be modeled after one passed in Georgia that has been pre-cleared under the federal Voting Rights Act. Lewis noted that some voter ID laws in other states have been struck down by courts. Continue reading

First in the Nation: Beaufort County, NC Adopts Federal Gun Laws Nullification Resolution

January 18, 2013  was a great day for North Carolina. Beaufort County took the first step nationwide to adopt a Federal Gun Laws Nullification resolution!!  The resolution was passed unanimously by the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners and was greeted by overwhelming support. The resolution was written in strong terms, stating that no county official, paid employee, or resource will be used to cooperate with or enforce federal gun regulations. It also calls on the NC General Assembly to pass an act to nullify the implementation of any federal law, executive order, or regulation which restricts the right to keep and bear arms within the state of North Carolina, as well as to propose an amendment to the state constitution to enlarge gun rights.

ABC and Fox News were there to cover the event and Michael Boldin of the Tenth Amendment Center has spent the entire day getting the story out nationwide.

Please urge your own county commissioners or Sheriffs Department to adopt a similar resolution.  Beaufort County, the Tenth Amendment Center, etc etc will provide the resolution if it will help.

Here is the link to the Beaufort Observer article and full video –

http://bit.ly/beaufortnullification

You can hear what the Commissioners each had to say about the resolution. I was touched by their loyalty to the US Constitution, their patriotism, their understanding of history, and the fidelity of their oaths.

Diane Rufino

Lt. Gov. Forest attacks attorney general's opinion on driver's licenses for some illegal immigrants

By Bruce Siceloff – bsiceloff@newsobserver.com

RALEIGH — Lt. Gov. Dan Forest said Saturday that President Barack Obama was wrong to defer deportation for some immigrants who entered the United States illeglly as children, and the state attorney general’s office was wrong in issuing its opinion that participants in the deferred-action program are legally eligible to get driver’s licenses in North Carolina.

“A person entering the United States illegally should not be afforded the privileges reserved for US citizens,” Forest said in an email statement released by his chief of staff, Hall Weatherman. “The President is willfully ignoring the laws on the books and should be Constitutionally challenged on this point by our Congress. While Congress has not acted, we in North Carolina can and should. We are a sovereign state and need to stand up and push back when the Feds encroach on our ability to protect our citizens and enforce our laws. The Attorney General’s ruling leaves open the possibility that the DMV can issue licenses to those individuals who came to our country and state illegally. I disagree with this action.”

The state Department of Transportation said Friday that it was “carefully assessing” the opinion issued Thursday by Grayson Kelley.

The Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program delays deportation for two years for some illegal immigrants. Kelley wrote that the DACA program allows the young immigrants to remain legally in the country for two years, and it meets state law requirements for confirming the “legal presence” in North Carolina for non-residents who are applying for driver’s licenses.

Kelley wrote that neither the DACA program nor his opinion has any effect on the lawful status of illegal immigrants.

“We believe that individuals who present documentation demonstrating a grant of deferred action by the United States are legally present in the United States and entitled to a drivers license of limited duration, assuming all other criteria are met,” Grayson wrote.

“This conclusion should not be construed to suggest that individuals granted deferred status under the DACA program have ‘lawful status’ in the United States. … (Homeland Security) Secretary (Janet) Napolitan’s memorandum, in fact, specifically states: ‘This memorandum confers no substantive right, immigration status or pathway to citizenship.’ There exists, however, a recognized legal distinction in immigration law between ‘lawful status’ and ‘legal presence.'”

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/19/2617956/lt-gov-forest-attacks-attorney.html#storylink=cpy

30%Rate Hike Proposed for Coastal NC

NC Friends:

Below is a slightly edited announcement from the town manager of Pine Knoll Shores.

It applies to ALL NC coastal property owners. Please see if you can attend.

Please also pass this on to other NC coastal property owners you know.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As many of you have heard, coastal insurance rates are being targeted for another major increase.  The message below my signature block provides detail.

You may contact the NC Insurance Commissioner to voice your opposition (which was effective in preventing a much more substantial increase just last year).  The blue/bold text below tells you how to do this.

Next week an organization called NC-20 is holding a symposium in Morehead City that addresses a number of issues significant to coastal NC.  NC-20 is an organization that advocates for many coastal groups on legislative/policy issues such as stormwater management, sea-level rise, and the fight that occurs almost annually over insurance rate increases.

I have found NC-20 to be the best source of information for the lay-person (i.e., not in the insurance industry) to understand these complex issues.

Note that the symposium costs $35 (which includes lunch), and that other important coastal issues besides the insurance rate increase will be covered.

Brian Kramer

Town Manager

Pine Knoll Shores, NC

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Higher Property Insurance Rates Proposed

The NC Rate Bureau submitted a Homeowners Insurance Rate Filing with the NC Department of Insurance on Monday, October 1st. The filing represents an average 17.7% increase statewide in property insurance rates. Continue reading

Insuring a home may get pricier in NC

By David Ranii – dranii@newsobserver.com

Tags: homeowners insurance | Wayne Goodwin

Insurers are seeking rate increases for homeowner’s insurance in North Carolina that range from a high of 30 percent in coastal counties to a low of 1.2 percent.

The hefty rate increase being sought along the coast fits a long-term pattern that has frustrated and outraged coastal communities that contend the rates homeowners pay already are unjustifiably high. Continue reading

Supreme Court Outcome Will Have Lasting Effects

Carolina Journal News Reports

Supreme Court Outcome Will Have Lasting Effects

Rulings on redistricting expected to hinge on election results

Oct. 1st, 2012

 

RALEIGH — To many, the race is below the radar, taking a back seat to the presidential and gubernatorial contests in North Carolina. But some say the battle for a state Supreme Court justice seat could be the most important race to be decided by the state’s voters this year.

The reason? The outcome of this race will decide whether the partisan balance will shift toward the Democrats or remain with the Republicans on the officially nonpartisan Supreme Court.

Among other issues, the court will decide whether the legislative and congressional maps set last year by the Republican-led General Assembly are constitutional. If the justices say no, it may take a year or more to draw new maps and complete all the legal challenges to them. The justices may wind up drawing the final maps before the 2014 election, and whether the majority is Democratic or Republican could have a significant effect on the partisan makeup of the General Assembly and the state’s congressional delegation.

The race pits incumbent Republican Justice Paul Newby of Raleigh against Democratic Court of Appeals Judge Sam J. “Jimmy” Ervin IV of Morganton. Continue reading

These NC Republicans Voted for Agenda 21 Food Council Bill

Here are the Republicans who voted with Democrats to defeat Rep. Bradley’s amendment to strip pro-Agenda 21 language from the Food Advisory Council’s charter. They joined with Joe Hackney to provide the swing vote; most Republicans voted with Bradley and AGAINST Agenda 21. Clearly, the below Reps agree with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which claims that Agenda 21 doesn’t exist, and is just an …”anti-government conspiracy theory.”

Remember them well, as they all clearly need to be replaced at their next election.

Rep. Bill Brawley – 919-733-5800
Rep. Larry Brown – 919-733-5607
Rep. Jimmy Dixon – 919-715-3021
Rep. Mike Hager – 919-733-5749
Rep. Mark Hollo – 919-715-8361
Rep. D. Craig Horn – 919-733-2406
Rep. James Langdon, Jr. – 919-733-5849
Rep. Bill McGee – 919-733-5747
Rep. Chuck McGrady – 919-733-5956
Rep. Efton Sager – 919-733-5755
Rep. Ruth Samuelson – 919-715-3009
Rep. Paul Stam – 919-733-2962
Rep. John A. Torbett – 919-733-5868
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/blogpost/11222178/

NC Legislature May Pass Pro-Agenda 21 Legislation

Wow!  Your grassroots pressure on NC House Republicans to fight Agenda 21 is really working!

As I told you in a previous email, the Local Food Policy Council is an advisory board funded by taxpayers operating under the authority of the NC Department of Agriculture.  The Council’s job is to provide advice to policymakers with the goal of strengthening NC farms and local food producers.

This past Wednesday, the NC House was scheduled to vote on HB 1098, a bill which would have re-inserted pro-Agenda 21 “sustainability” language into the charter of the NC Local Sustainable Food Policy Council.

Wednesday morning, Campaign for Liberty members bombarded House Republicans with phone calls and emails demanding that the House adopt Rep. Glen Bradley’s amendment to remove the progressive Agenda 21 language from the bill, or kill it completely.  As a result, House leadership backed off, and pulled the bill from last Wednesday’s agenda.  Your pressure worked!

At first, they rescheduled the bill to be voted on next Wednesday.  But now that Campaign for Liberty members have HB 1098 on their radar, NC House Republicans are trying to hide the Agenda 21 language we’re fighting in another bill, scheduled for an earlier vote.

The new bill we need to target is SB 491, and it’s scheduled for a floor vote on Monday, June 18th.

To that end, I need you to do two things:

First, contact your NC House Representative and instruct him/her to either support Rep. Glen Bradley’s amendment to remove Agenda 21 language from SB 491, or vote against the bill.  You can look up your Representative’s contact information here.

Next, contact Rep. Thom Tillis at 919-733-3451 or by email at Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net and tell him to oppose Agenda 21 in NC!

We don’t have a lot of time, but our goal is still the same.  It’s time to turn the heat all the way up, so that the politicians in Raleigh understand that it’s more controversial to ignore the progressive left’s Agenda 21 than it is to stand up for private property rights and individual liberty!

Time is of the essence, so call now!

In Liberty,

Adam Love
NC State Coordinator
Campaign for Liberty

P.S.  NC House Republicans are trying to pass pro-Agenda 21 legislation SB 491, scheduled for a vote Monday, 6/18!  Contact Speaker Thom Tillis at 919-733-3451 or by email at Thom.Tillis@ncleg.net as well as your own NC House Representative and tell them to oppose Agenda 21 in NC!

We Need Help for MAJOR State Legislation and Projects

We Need Help for MAJOR State Legislation and Projects

Hello Everyone,

I received the following from NC House member Glen Bradley, a strict constitutionalists.  He sees great importance in passing 2 critical bills/resolutions in the short session and needs our help.  These bills touch ever so strongly on individual liberty and on the notion that states are supposed to STICK UP and PROTECT our rights and not help the government take them away.
Please get the message out as best you can.

The bills are as follows (copied from the email)  —

First project I want to discuss is our bill to refuse compliance with Agenda 21.  Because this is a bit complicated, I will try to explain what is going on.

A non-budgetary bill may only be introduced in the short session with 2/3 support of the members. A resolution may be introduced at any time, and does not count towards out 10 bill limit. Therefore we have a resolution to introduce the noncompliance bill, and then the noncompliance bill itself that will be introduced upon 2/3 passage of the resolution. The resolution to introduce will gain a bill number on May 16th when it is introduced.

Here is what we need, we need 2/3 support from members of both the House and the Senate on the introduction resolution here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByAbMc4d18WVamVYZjJJbkNfcHc

So please contact your State Representative and State Senator and express to them how much you want them to support the anti-Agenda21 resolution and noncompliance bill, so that we can get the 2/3 support we need to introduce the actual noncompliance bill here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByAbMc4d18WVR0VIUjN0ZUVBdnM

If you State Representative or State Senator is a Democrat, there are a wide variety of “Democrats against Agenda 21” groups out there in existence, so it may help to look a few of them up first and reference them when contacting your Rep or Senator. I will also be attempting to rally those groups.See More:    2011-LB-428B.pdf – Google Docs

And the second project I want to bring to your attention is a resolution composed by OathKeepers and the Patriot Coalition to DENOUNCE the provision for the indefinite detention of American citizens in sections 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense and Authorization Act (NDAA).

This one is a lot more straightforward even if the bill is significantly longer.  It is simply a resolution (a Nullification resolution), which means that it can be introduced on Day 1 of the short session and it does not count towards my 10-bill limit.  So we also need your help to support the resolution to oppose/object to the indefinite detention provision of the NDAA.  It too will aquire a bill number on May 16th.

Check it out here:  https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByAbMc4d18WVbG5wLUdTOUdveVU
More:   2011-LG-149.pdf – Google Docs

Richard Morgan, Disgraced Republican for NC Insurance Commissioner

On Richard Morgan, candidate for Insurance Commissioner and traitor to the GOP (made co-chair deal with Democrat Jim Black, backstabbing the GOP)

From: “Capital Area Republicans” <carepublicans@excite.com>
Resolution of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party

Be it resolved by the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican party that,

Whereas Richard Morgan is registered Republican, and

Whereas Richard Morgan is the Co-Speaker of the House of Representatives, and

Whereas Richard Morgan is the Republican leader of the House as defined in Article VI.B.1.d. of the North Carolina Republican Party State Plan of Organization, and,

Whereas Richard Morgan is a Member of the State Executive Committee and State Central Committee pursuant to Article VI.B.1d. and Article VI.C.1.a. of the North Carolina Republican Party State Plan Organization as a result of his position as Co-speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, and

Whereas the Republican Party and the NCGOP State Central and Executive Committees exist, according to the preamble of the NCGOP State Plan of Organization, “for the purpose of uniting and coordinating our efforts for maximum power and efficiency,” and

Whereas Richard Morgan has stated publicly his intention as Speaker to defeat his political enemies within the Republican House Caucus, and

Whereas Richard Morgan was intimately involved in the design of the adopted unconstitutional redistricting maps that would likely prevent the Republican Party from obtaining a Republican majority, and

Whereas Richard Morgan has since the adoption of the maps joined in as a plaintiff in legal actions designed and contrived to prevent a Republican majority, and

Whereas Richard Morgan refused to vote for either of the Republican House Caucus nominees for Speaker of the House, and

Whereas Representative George Holmes was the duly endorsed nominee of the House Republican Caucus for Speaker of the North Carolina House, and,

Whereas Richard Morgan’s activities within the Republican House Caucus directly and substantially contributed to the loss of a solely Republican Speakership of the North Carolina House, and

Whereas Richard Morgan’s vote in favor of the House resolution naming himself and Democrat Jim Black as Co-Speakers falls within the meaning of “influencing the outcome of any election against a Republican endorsed by the appropriate Legislative Caucus,” and

Whereas Article VII.G. of the NCGOP State Plan of Organization states that “Each officer and each Member of the State Executive Committee shall refrain from utilizing the powers and dignity of his or her office or position in any Republican Primary for public office at any level,” and

Whereas Article VII, E.2. states in part “Any registered Republican attempting to influence or influencing the outcome of any election against… a Republican endorsed by the appropriate… Legislative Caucus may be declared ineligible to hold office under the State Plan of Organization at the State, District, and Precinct level for Party disloyalty by 2/3 vote of the State Executive Committee,” and

Whereas Article VII.A.7.a. states “Any Member of a Committee organized under this Plan may be removed by a 2/3’s vote of the respective Committee…,” and

Whereas Richard Morgan was furnished with notice of the charges against him signed by not less than 50 of the Members of State Executive Committee two weeks before this Committee meeting.

Therefore the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party finds that Richard Morgan’s political agenda is different from and injurious to the North Carolina Republican Party, and

Further the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party finds that Richard Morgan’s political agenda and his position on the NCGOP State Executive Committee are in conflict and thus his service on the Executive Committee is therefore grossly inefficient under Article VII.A.7. of the NCGOP State Plan of Organization, and

Further the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party finds Richard Morgan culpable of disloyalty to the North Carolina Republican Party, and

Further the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party orders Richard Morgan’s immediate removal from the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party pursuant to Article VII.A.7. of the North Carolina Republican Party State Plan of Organization.

Lastly the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party declares that Richard Morgan is ineligible to serve in any Office under this Plan of Organization for a period of five years pursuant to Article VII.E.2. of the North Carolina Republican Party.

Resolution of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party to Order Richard Morgan’s Immediate Removal from the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Republican Party

Shubert for Auditor

Shubert for Auditor

An Important Message from Fern Shubert

You have a golden opportunity to do something that will save you money and really irritate those who profit from bad government. But you must act now, because in less a week it will be too late.

In less than a week the Republican primary will be over and the Republican nominee for State Auditor will be decided. Since the State Auditor is the person responsible for being sure our state’s books are honest and above board and your tax dollars are not wasted or stolen, it is in your personal interest to be sure you elect the most experienced, most competent and most outspoken advocate for the public’s right to know what’s happening in government that you can find.

I’m Fern Shubert and I’d like to serve you as your State Auditor.

I am a current and longtime CPA with extensive audit experience, including audit management.

I’m familiar with state government from my work as a Representative and Senate Republican Whip.

I’ve proven my ability to identify problems before they’re readily apparent and my willingness to speak out to inform the public.

Please, please, please compare the records of the candidates running for auditor and I think you’ll see why you want to be sure I win.

Author and radio talk show host Jason Lewis called me North Carolina’s most fearless fiscal leader. My audit experience made it easy for me to spot what others missed. I was so outspoken about the unethical behavior of Jim Black and Mike Easley that in 2004 Ed Williams of The Charlotte Observer actually told me people thought I was nuts. Now Black has spent time in federal prison and Easley has been publicly disgraced and any honest observer would have to admit I was right all along.

This link will take you to a YouTube clip that introduces me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-oWnukLXNg

 

For more information about me, please go to my website, www.FernShubert.com and check out the Bio. Or on Facebook check Shubert for Auditor. ( https://www.facebook.com/#!/Shubert.for.Auditor )

As in any campaign, contributions are welcome and most assuredly appreciated, but votes decide an election. I’m seeking your vote and the votes of your friends. Please talk to your friends. Better yet, please forward this message to your friends and ask them to share it with their friends. In order to win, I need your help.

Thanks for your help! Thanks for your support!

    Fern

Fern H. Shubert, CPA _________________________________________________________________________________________

505 South Elm Street, Marshville, NC 28103             Phone 704-296-2175                   Fern.Shubert@gmail.com

Paid for by People Who Want Better Government

 

In N.C. Senate Race, Republican Ramsey Gets Help From Other Aircraft Providers

Carolina Journal News Reports

In N.C. Senate Race, Republican Ramsey Gets Help From Other Aircraft Providers

Political newcomer receives significant support from outside district

May. 4th, 2012

 

RALEIGH — Campaign finance disclosures made available this week show that Randy Ramsey has outraised and outspent his chief rival, Norm Sanderson, significantly in the Republican primary in N.C. Senate District 2.

Ramsey, a first-time candidate for the General Assembly, was associated closely with Democratic politicians until he chose to run. His support from Democrats includes air travel for Gov. Bev Perdue and a $2,000 contribution to her campaign in July. Before this year, he had given $3,750 to Republican candidates, but more than 10 times that amount to Democratic campaigns and to the state Democratic Party. Moreover, some people connected to the flying scandal that led to the criminal prosecution of and felony plea by Democratic former Gov. Mike Easley also have donated to Ramsey’s campaign.

Ramsey is the owner of Jarrett Bay Boatworks, a boat-building company located in Beaufort. His previous financial support of Democrats — even though he is a registered Republican — was the subject of a recent Carolina Journal cover story.

Sanderson, a first-term member of the N.C. House representing Craven and Pamlico counties, is a small business owner in Havelock. He decided to run for state Senate this year rather than seek re-election to his House seat. A third candidate, Ken Jones, also is running. The State Board of Elections could not locate Jones’ campaign finance reports by press time.

With days left until the election Tuesday, Ramsey has raised $418,649 — including $234,000 in money he has loaned to his campaign — and spent $285,299. Sanderson’s fundraising and spending totals dwarf those figures. He raised $32,613 and spent $28,691 over that time period.

The Senate district comprises Craven, Carteret, and Pamlico Counties. Approximately half of Ramsey’s actual contributions came from persons living outside the district. Ramsey also received the maximum individual contribution of $4,000 apiece from Daniel M. Doyle, Nicole Doyle, and Daniel M. Doyle Jr. of Belleair, Fl.

In addition, Ramsey received donations from the family of Elizabethtown businessman D.M. “Mac” Campbell Jr., who had close ties to the Easley and Perdue administrations and in the past by provided unreported flights to the chief executives, as documented by Carolina Journal.

One of Mac Campbell’s sons, Raleigh businessman McQueen Campbell, was at the center of the scandal involving unreported flights for former Gov. Mike Easley. McQueen Campbell’s wife Laurie Campbell gave Ramsey $1,000 using her previous name Laurie Perkis, but Ramsey’s campaign report listed her last name as Perkins. (The Campbells married in January.) McQueen Campbell’s brother Wesley gave Ramsey $250 and their father Mac Campbell gave Ramsey $1,000.

Jimmy D. Clark of Greensboro, who also was involved in Perdue’s unreported flying activities, gave Ramsey $1,000. Former N.C. Supreme Court chief justice Burley Mitchell, a Democrat, gave Ramsey $250.

The primary is May 8.

David N. Bass is an associate editor of Carolina Journal. Don Carrington, executive editor of Carolina Journal, provided additional reporting for this story.

Ramsey Donations Exceed $367,000

Reference: http://www.app.sboe.state.nc.us/cf_pdf/2012/20120501_111387.pdf

Ramsey’s campaign report shows Total receipts of over $367,000.

Ramsey has personally contributed over $180,000.    Why would someone spend over $180,000 of their own money to run for State Senate seat that pays $13,000/year? What does Ramsey know about NC politics that we don’t know?


Over half (52%) of the money generated by personal contributions came from outside the District.     Why are so many contributors from outside our area and our state pouring money into Randy Ramsey’s campaign?

Ramsey received over $20,000 in contributions from Florida, Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Maine, South Carolina and Virginia.

One family from a small town in Florida contributed more money than Ramsey’s entire hometown of Beaufort.

The report includes a contribution from the N.C. Advocates for Justice PAC, the political action committee of trial lawyers that was the largest PAC contributor in state legislative races in 2010.

The report includes several contributions from individuals who traditionally give almost exclusively to Democrats, including Wendell Murphy, who was subpoenaed in the Board of Elections hearings against Governor Mike Easley and was also listed in the list of unreported campaign flights for Bev Perdue.  Randy Ramsey was included in that list.

Another Note from Representative McElraft re. House Bill 810

Editor’s note: Ramsey continues to lie about Norm Sanderson’s record. This time he is lying about his support to our troops. If Ramsey so easily lies during the campaign, can you trust him as your NC Senator in District 2?

Ramsey is just wrong about what H115 is and he continues to send out these mailers.  He knows that negative campaigning works.  When you have a quarter of a million dollars to spend against Sanderson’s $30,000 you can buy your way.  It is unfortunate that this is the way a Republican works against another Republican and especially a VERY conservative one like Rep. Sanderson.

On House bill 810 the  “non bank” lenders  were asking the state to allow them to charge higher interest rates when they had not had an increase in over a decade.  I do understand that because they have a very high failure rate.  These are legitimate lenders and not “loan sharks”.  I have learned much more about this bill since I voted against it.  I spoke to a business owner who owned one of these loan companies and he said only 5% of his loans were military.    We all know how hard it is to get a bank loan right now and sometimes when people’s credit is not the greatest they go to one of these loan companies.  Many of these loan companies are just hanging on by threads. So it was a vote that I truly have mixed emotions about.  I certainly did not want a legitimate business to fail by my “against” vote.

I voted against  the bill in more of a “Navy Relief” volunteer way.  I remembered when I volunteered for Navy Relief as a budget counselor  that I saw the young troops get in trouble for bad loans.  I have realized since that by voting agaomst this, if it had passed ,could have  sent these young troops into the arms of loan sharks.  That was not my intention.  I had a friend at Family Services who asked me to vote against this bill.  Only a few Republicans voted against it because it was truly a “jobs” bill and a “pro business” bill.  I was very torn on how to vote for this bill but being a military spouse for 30 years, a volunteer for Navy Relief and a mother trying to protect our young military, I did vote for it.

Rep. Sanderson and all but a couple of us Republicans voted for this bill because it is a “jobs” bill and because they had amended the bill to make it more palatable to the military by saying that a service person would not be able to get one of these loans  without prior permission from his or her commanding officer.

A vote for this bill certainly was NOT an anti military vote.  I know Rep. Sanderson’s history on supporting the military.  The attacks on him again are just wrong and unethical.  When will it stop?

Thanks,
Pat

________________________________

Pat McElraft
pmcelraft@ec.rr.com
patm@ncleg.net

Ferry Toll and Representative Norman Sanderson

Friends in the NC 2nd Senate District,

Here is an elected official; Scott Dacey, Commissioner Craven County, speaking up for Norm Sanderson’s stand and work on the Ferry Toll Problem on radio. Listen to this u-tube of the Phil Knight Show out of New Bern this morning the 27th of April. Pass this important information on to every 2nd District Voter you know. I wish we had more elected public servants like Scott Dacey and Pat McElraft that would stand up and set things straight for the voters. But, that takes guts and a willingness to lose a vote or two for “Principle”. The web site is http://youtube.com/watch?v=HuAjo5hyOFw&feature=youtu.be . Sit back and listen and be informed.

Gus Wilgus

Primary Candidates that Support the Tea Party Principles

Crystal Coast Tea Party Patriots believe the follow
ing Candidates best support the Tea Party
principles of Limited Government, Fiscal
Responsibility and Protection of the Free Market.

President: Mitt Romney

U.S. House District 3: Frank Palombo

Governor: PAT McCRORY

Lt. Governor: DAN FORREST

State Auditor: DEBRA GOLDMAN

Commissioner of Agriculture: STEVE TROXLER

Commissioner of Insurance: MIKE CAUSEY

Secretary of State: MICHAEL (MIKE) BEITLER

Superintendent of Public Instruction: JOHN TEDESCO

NC Treasurer: STEVE ROYAL

NC Senate District 2: : NORM SANDERSON

Carteret County District Commissioners
District 3: TERRY FRANK
District 5: HARRY TAYLOR

District Judge: DAVE MCFADYEN

Board of Education
District 3: MARK MANSFIELD

CONSTITUTIONAL  AMENDMENT:  Vote “FOR